posted on December 1st, 2008 in Despair, Inc., Merch 

Undie Gifts: Build Your Own Demotivator Calendars!

With Despair’s amazing personalization capabilities, you can give each member of your family a Demotivator Calendar that uniquely addresses their particular failures and failings:

Share the Despair!

posted on June 20th, 2008 in Despair, Inc., News, Videos 

ABC Nightline is completely in Despair

Sorry for the Despair overload lately but we didn’t want to miss this story. ABC’s Nightline recently profiled Despair and in turn showcased many aspects of Amplifier. Some of our systems and services can be spotted throughout the clip (Screenprinting, Print-on-Demand, Fulfillment and more). Video segment after the break.

posted on June 5th, 2008 in Despair, Inc., Merch 

Q: How does Despair do it?

A: Polymers.

Peep this:

Not on the Wailing List yet? Give up already.
UPDATE: Folks are digging it — courtesy of digitalmediaanalyst.com:

Despair Inc.: The Perfect Marketing Video Series?
June 8, 2008

To start, if you work anywhere in the corporate world and have not yet gone shopping at Despair Inc., please do so now. They just expanded their video series and anyone interested in seeing how video can drive a brand should both shop at Despair.com to understand the business, then http://despair.com/spin.html to see how they reinforce the brand. Normally we would do a little analysis and outline the strengths of their campaign, but why ruin the fun. Enjoy.

posted on May 27th, 2008 in Ask a Ninja, Content, Despair, Inc., News, Penny Arcade, Rooster Teeth, Tiki Bar TV, Undies 

upTweets: Undies doin’ it for themselves.

I am going to go on an extended non-blogging break.

If you’re following along on Twitter, you haven’t missed this good stuff:

• Despair’s latest vividly demonstrates awesome longer-form storytelling via video (here you go, Mr. Eisner), parts 1 and 2;
• Ask A Ninja isn’t shy about anything talking web video;
• Rooster Teeth has launched Red Vs Blue: Reconstruction;
• Laughing Squid captured the world’s largest lolcat;
• SoHo has a 20′ Lala;
• Diesel Sweeties celebrated a six-year undiversary. Congrats, yo!
• AppleGeeks honored Memorial Day;
• Kris Straub has opened his sketchbooks. So cool.
• Go inside PAA Episode 1.

More soon. Promise.

posted on February 14th, 2008 in College Humor, Content, Despair, Inc., Dumbrella, JibJab, Merch 

Show your Undies this Valentine’s Day.

Happy Valentine’s Day (sorta) from the Undies:

• College Humor offers holiday cards.
• Diesel Sweeties, too, has cards aplenty.
• Despair has BitterSweets Candies and a heart-shaped card that you can personalize with one or three hearts.
• JibJab has tons of themed Sendables waiting for you to make them your own.
• Perhaps sensing all of the above, Indexed commented on the (possibly rampant, at least among the Undies) anti-Valentine’s sentiment.

Enjoy.

posted on February 1st, 2008 in Despair, Inc., Merch 

I heart Despair.

I recently highlighted Despair’s BitterSweets relaunch. In their typically super-creative fashion, they have amplified this product and taken it to a completely new level. Fans can now share their own expressions of dejection, dysfunction, and Despair.

At iheart.despair.com, you can:

• make your own custom, candy-heart image with anything you would like to say (in two lines of six characters each);
• email that image to friends;
• buy a custom, heart-shaped greeting card with your image on the front and your own text on the inside; and
• even load your card into a BitterSweets candy tin, into which it fits just perfectly.

In addition, since this product is completely integrated with their store, you can purchase these items in the same order as a t-shirt, mug, and custom calendar.

This is some seriously cool stuff. Share the love.

posted on January 7th, 2008 in Despair, Inc., Merch 

courtesy of Despair: Valentine’s for the rest of us

Dysfunctional. Dumped. Dejected. Which are you? Or maybe all three?

posted on November 16th, 2007 in Best Practices, Catalog, Commerce, Despair, Inc., Monetizing 

Despair launches its own line of Plastic Gift Cards

So today Despair soft-launched their new line of Gift Cards.

These cards parody the seemingly endless number of precious-metal credit cards. Despair’s Card comes in Rust, Pyrite (shown) and Tin. But this isn’t everything. The cards are working physical gift certificates. Each is serialized, like any gift card, each can be redeemed online at their store. They’re printed on metallic card stocks, feature embossed alphanumeric gift codes as well as a scratch off panel on the back. (What’s under the scratch off? I’ll never tell.)

posted on November 9th, 2007 in Despair, Inc., Merchandise, Web Comics 

Great Minds Think Alike

Perhaps this kind of thinking is a byproduct of being undependent?

Diesel Sweeties and Despair

How about a Diesel Sweeties & Despair crossover? Metal Steve modeling for Despair, and Dr. Kersten giving Red Robot management lessons? Just saying.

posted on October 26th, 2007 in Content, Despair, Inc., Web Comics 

two recent bittersweet comics from xkcd and Qwantz

Despair’s Bittersweets — The Valentine’s candy for the rest of us — come in two downtrodden collections, Dejected and Dysfunctional.

Dejected sayings include:

• TABLE FOR 1
• PROG FAN
• WE HAD PLANS.

Dysfunctional sayings include:

• RETURN 2 PIT
• C THAT DOOR?
• U WATCH CMT

I couldn’t help but think about these candies after reading a couple of comics today.

Enjoy:

• Qwantz recalls dejection.

• xkcd nails dysfunction.

Your store links: xkcd; Qwantz; Bittersweets.